Plans to build a £12m new ‘emergency village’ at Wythenshawe hospital have been submitted - as new figures show it has missed waiting targets for the seventh week in a row.

Just 88.7pc of patients were seen within four hours last week, down further on the previous week and far short of the government’s 95pc target.

Hospital bosses hope a huge new extension, intended to be built by next autumn, will solve the problem.

According to plans submitted to Manchester council, it will not only cut waiting times but stop ambulance queues outside by improving the hospital’s lay-out - meaning patients will get in faster.

Local politicians - including the late Wythenshawe and Sale East Paul Goggins, who died a year ago - had long called for the unit to be upgraded and get extra capacity.

The downgrading of Trafford General’s emergency department last year saw admissions at Wythenshawe surge - leading to calls on the government finally stump up the cash for an extension.

As a result a new ambulatory care unit’, attached to the existing department, is planned for less serious injuries - so higher priority patients can helped faster.

If approved by planners, the existing emergency unit will also get more treatment rooms, examination rooms and waiting space, as well as a new reception and pharmacy.

The hospital is also hoping to have the option to build up on top of the single-storey extension if that is needed in future.

Changes to the lay-out in front of the building will aim to stop ambulance queues, meaning people can be seen faster.

Woodhouse Park councillor Eddy Newman, who chairs the council’s health scrutiny committee, welcomed the upgrade - but warned it may not be enough in the face of a waiting times ‘crisis’.

“It’s not just A&E - it’s the closure of walk-in centres, increased pressure on GPs. It’s all connected,” he said.

“There just needs to be much bigger inestment into the health service.”

A spokesperson for University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust (UHSM) said; “Our A&E department continues to experience very high numbers of attendances and we’re seeing a large number of patients requiring hospital admission due to the severity or complexity of their conditions.

“Although our services are facing an increased demand over this winter period, our A&amp;E team is working incredibly hard to ensure our patients continue to receive excellent treatment and care.

“The vast majority of our patients continue to be seen, diagnosed and treated within four hours of admission to our A&E. However, sometimes people visit our A&E for minor healthcare issues that should have been dealt with at home or by their GP.

“This is increasing demand for urgent and emergency health services and we need to remind our local community that A&E should be kept for those patients who require urgent attention for a serious or life threatening situation.”